Baltimore Ravens lose Woodrum, Mizzell and Payne to waivers

The Baltimore Ravens had some tough decisions to make when cutting the roster down to just 53 players. Several young players who had solid preseason performances were let go simply because there weren’t enough spots on the roster.

The Balrimore Ravens knew they risked these players being claimed by other teams. They had to first clear waivers before they could be signed to Baltimore’s practice squad. Josh Woodrum, Taquan Mizzell, and Donald Payne were all claimed by other teams. I’m sure the Ravens would have loved to keep all three of these players on their practice squad.

Quarterback Josh Woodrum and running back Taquan “Smoke” Mizzell were both fan favorites during the preseason and were speculated by many to possibly make the 53 man roster. They both played solid, but you must keep in mind that they were mostly playing second and third string players. Teams do not truly game plan or pull out all of their tricks in preseason games either. This can give fans a false idea of how good these young players really are.

Josh Woodrum is not a savior.

I have seen countless people saying that Josh Woodrum should be the backup QB instead of Ryan Mallett. Yes, technically Woodrum outplayed Mallett in the preseason. Mallett has experience though and has proven he can win in Baltimore before when he helped defeat the Steelers in 2015. Ryan Mallett also knows this offense way more than Woodrum and is a very similar mold to Flacco with his height and big arm.

When Woodrum played against several of Buffalo’s starters in week 3, he looked out-of-place. He’s not ready to face real NFL defenses. I like Josh Woodrum and I wish him nothing but success, but he wouldn’t be a savior to the Ravens if Joe Flacco went down. Woodrum belongs as a third string QB or on a practice squad for now.

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Taquan Mizzell is a dime a dozen.

I liked watching Mizzell in the preseason. He was elusive and shined in catching passes out of the backfield. Mizzell was a victim of the numbers game in my opinion. The Ravens already had the three backs they wanted on the roster with Terrance West, Danny Woodhead, and Buck Allen.

Taquan Mizzell was too similar to Danny Woodhead. Woodhead is quick and elusive but really shines in the passing game. Buck Allen is similar to this as well, but he is more of a runner than Smoke and Danny. Running backs are a dime a dozen in the NFL. Mizzell is an easily replaceable player.

Players like Donald Payne are Ozzie Newsome’s forte.

If there is one thing you can bank on Ozzie Newsome finding, it’s good undrafted linebackers. Donald Payne played solid, particularly on special teams in the preseason. He too may have been a victim of the numbers game though. Fellow undrafted LB Bam Bradley outplayed him on defense and special teams and thus was given the spot on the roster. After losing LB Albert McClellan for the season, the Ravens needed to find another LB for special teams and depth.

Donald Payne proved his worth, but Bam Bradley just played better. Losing a player like him is nothing to bat an eye at because we all know Ozzie can find another one next year. Payne could become a solid special teams contributor and even work his way up on a team’s defense, but I ultimately feel like we got the better player in Bam Bradley.

Preseason is not always an indicator of real game ability.

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Many fans acted like we lost the second coming of Tom Brady in Woodrum and the next Leveon Bell in Mizzell. It’s ridiculous how a few solid preseason performances can sky-rocket a players value in the eyes of some fans. I can almost guarantee you that the Ravens are better off with Mallet as the backup QB and the three running backs already on the roster. If I’m wrong and these two do become the next Brady and Bell then I will gladly eat my own words, but if past indications are anything to go off, then something tells me I’m not.